Bold Strategy
for a Better World.
Connecting brands with what people truly value.
Uncover
the Story.
Hi friends, nice to meet you! I’m Mary Austin Harrelson, an integrated marketing, brand strategy, & sustainability communications leader helping organizations understand what people really value and turn it into stronger brands, relationships, & business value.
I’ve always been fascinated by some of the first choices we make every day: What should I eat? What should I drink? What should I wear? They may seem ordinary, but the products we choose become part of how we express who we are, build community, and shape culture.
That curiosity has quietly guided my career.
From pouring pints at Oskar Blues and Brooklyn Brewery to developing brand and engagement strategies for fashion brands like INTERMIX and ETRO, I kept coming back to bigger questions about value: Why do we value the products we choose? Where does that value begin? And if the things we value ultimately come from nature, how can we create greater value for people, products, and the planet?
Those questions eventually led me to earn my MS in Sustainability Management at Columbia University, where I deepened my understanding of the environmental, social, and economic systems behind the products, businesses, customers, and communities I’d spent my career working with.
My graduate research examining human well-being in conservation reinforced something I now bring to all of my work: environmental value and human value aren’t separate ideas. Stronger systems depend on understanding both.
Across more than a decade of experience, I’ve approached that challenge from very different vantage points. I’ve built integrated marketing campaigns, shaped brand positioning and content, created partnerships and experiences, developed CRM and customer journeys, analyzed audience insights, and helped organizations translate complex sustainability priorities into stories people can actually understand and act on.
Most recently, as Head of Marketing at Sustainable Brands, I engaged leaders from organizations including Costco, PepsiCo, Levi’s, Oatly, Grove Collaborative, Ben & Jerry’s, and WWF through integrated marketing and thought leadership. As a consultant, I’ve advised companies including Target, Estée Lauder, Unilever, Mondelēz, and Nestlé on ESG communications and digital reputation. And at NYC DEP, I helped rethink communications and customer experience for more than 835,000 New Yorkers.
Different audiences. Different industries. Different challenges. But the question I keep coming back to is the same:
How do we make what an organization is trying to do meaningful to the person on the other side?
I’m at my best somewhere between the big picture and making it real: asking questions, finding patterns, connecting ideas and people, and then building what resonates.
Because the strongest brands don’t simply sell products. They understand what people really value and build meaningful relationships around it.
SERVICES
Where Vision
Meets Action.
Strategy, storytelling & systems for organizations ready to build stronger relationships & business value.
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Get closer to the people who matter to the organization. Audience research, customer insights, stakeholder engagement, and data uncover what people need, care about, and respond to — informing better decisions, identifying opportunities, and building the relevance and trust that drive engagement, retention, and long-term value.
Service offering:
Audience definition & values clarity
Stakeholder mapping
Audience segmentation & development
Journey mapping & toolkit
Survey design & behavioral analysis
Market analysis & cultural insights
CRM strategy & stakeholder engagement
Competitive landscaping
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Turn audience insights and business priorities into a clear direction for brand, marketing, and communications. Integrated strategies connect objectives, audiences, channels, and teams to sharpen positioning, focus resources, improve campaign performance, and support sustainable growth.
Service offering:
Brand positioning & messaging frameworks
Integrated marketing strategy development
Campaign strategy & development
Omnichannel design & multichannel marketing (e-mail, social, SMS, digital, in-person events, etc.)
Event & experiential strategy development
Marketing calendars & communications planning
Sustainability communications strategy
Digital channel audits (AI, SEO, FAQs, etc.)
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Translate complex ideas into clear, compelling narratives people can understand, care about, and act on. Messaging, content, and thought leadership strengthen brand differentiation and credibility while building the awareness, engagement, and trust that influence reputation and consideration.
Service offering:
Sustainability storytelling & impact communications
Narrative development
Executive thought leadership
Copywriting (website, campaigns, reports, launches, social media content, etc.)
Internal & external communications
Executive communications strategy
Plain-language transformation & accessibility
Content strategy & editorial planning
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Bring brands and audiences together through campaigns, partnerships, experiences, and communities that give people a reason to participate. Meaningful moments of connection expand reach, deepen engagement, increase participation, and strengthen brand affinity.
Service offering:
Campaign strategy & execution
Omnichannel design & multichannel marketing (e-mail, social, SMS, digital, in-person events, etc.)
Event marketing & partnerships
Product & initiative launches
Marketing program design (loyalty, influencer, ambassador, philanthropic, community, etc.)
Experiential marketing & activations
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Design communications and experiences around the full customer and stakeholder journey, making interactions more relevant, intuitive, and valuable over time. Connected CRM, lifecycle marketing, customer experience, and service design help improve engagement, satisfaction, retention, loyalty, and customer lifetime value.
Service offering:
Human-centered communications & service design
CRM strategy & optimizations
Audience segmentation & list strategy
Communications audits
Service design & process improvement
Customer-centric service training
Experience optimization
Lifecycle marketing & retention strategy
Digital channel audits (AI, SEO, FAQs, etc.)
Plain-language transformation
Service design & process redesign
Accessibility & customer-centric communicationss
Customer-centric service training
Experience optimization
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Connect strategy with execution when the challenge spans teams, channels, partners, systems, or priorities. Flexible senior-level leadership and hands-on support create alignment, improve coordination, make better use of resources, and move complex initiatives from idea to measurable results.
Service offering:
Leadership advising
Strategic stakeholder alignment
Executive communications strategy
Cross-functional collaboration support (connecting dots & breaking down siloes)
Strategic clarity & prioritization (short- to long-term)
Marketing operations & systems management
Data integrity & governance
Fractional marketing & communications leadership
Agency & vendor management
Project management & program management
Flexible support
for where you are
& where you’re going.
Turning ideas
into impact
The Work
Behind The Words.
Selected projects across industries and impact areas that translate ideas into clear strategies, compelling stories, & measurable results.
Real Challenges
Complex questions turned into actionable strategies.
Meaningful Connection
Ideas that resonate with people, brands & communities.
Measurable Value
Work designed to strengthen relationships & drive results.
Heard It
Here First.
What it’s like to work together, from the people who’ve been there.
DIFFERENT INDUSTRIES,
DIFFERENT ROLES,
A CONSISTENT STORY
SUSTAINABILITY • BUSINESS VALUE
“Mary Austin is great at connecting sustainable thinking across many sectors, including fashion, food & beverage, and lifestyle. As a marketer and communicator, she’s great at translating data and complex sustainability science into campaigns that drive audience engagement and business performance for long-term loyalty.”
Danielle Azoulay
The CSO Shop
STRATEGIC THINKING • EXECUTION
“Mary Austin’s ability to connect people across teams, functions, and divisions is exceptional. She builds strong relationships, breaks down silos, and brings stakeholders together to move important work forward.”
Fuse
Dan Houston
MARKETING • LEADERSHIP
“Mary Austin brings incredible energy and enthusiasm to everything she did, leading marketing campaigns, supporting our flagship event, SB’26 San Diego and keeping projects moving forward no matter how busy things got.”
Carlos Yabar
Sustainable Brands
STRATEGIC THINKING • EXECUTION
“Mary Austin is an extremely talented, motivated, strategic thinker who has extensive knowledge of customer insights and the retail journey. She is an extremely dedicated worker and ensures from the beginning to the end point of execution that all details are thoughtfully considered.”
Brooke Monahan
Former Manager
COLLABORATION • LEADERSHIP
“Mary Austin exemplifies ingenuity, tenacity, and creative excellence. She consistently brings bold, innovative thinking to problem-solving, and leads with clarity and courage to co-create solutions that not only meet, but often exceed, client expectations.”
Rita Legro
Former Colleague
“I had the pleasure of partnering with Mary Austin on several marketing initiatives supported by ActionIQ and not only did I find her professional & knowledgeable approach a key asset to driving success, I was always struck by Mary Austin’s willingness to dive into unchartered territory, learn new skills, and get creative.”
MARKETING • CURIOSITY
Gwen Radsch
Former Marketing Partner
Connect.
Ready to collaborate? Whether you have a project in mind, want to explore partnership opportunities, or just start a conversation, I’d love to hear from you.
Drop your details in the form, and I’ll be in touch soon!
